


Sooner or Later

by Inell



Series: 2017 Prompt Challenge [7]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternative Universe - FBI, But be warned victims are discussed, FBI Agent Stiles Stilinski, M/M, Mention of victims raped & tortured, Mutual Pining, Pack is a FBI Team, Pre-Slash, Serial killer case, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, no graphic details
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 17:59:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9283529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inell/pseuds/Inell
Summary: Stiles and his team are called in to help catch a serial killer hunting around the Pacific Northwest. Stiles becomes obsessed, and Derek keeps him grounded.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [onereader](https://archiveofourown.org/users/onereader/gifts).



> shealwaysreads said: Sterek - “How long have you been standing there?”
> 
> My lovely Isobel! I’m not sure if you were thinking pre-slash mutual pining & serial killer cases for this prompt, but that’s what you got, bb! I hope you enjoy it! Fic #7 for my 2017 Prompt Challenge
> 
> Possible Triggers: There is a reference to a serial killer raping & torturing victims and leaving bodies for the authorities to find. No graphic details are given, but be warned it’s got a FBI case type thing going on with the Stiles/Derek pining.

There has to be a pattern.

Not the obvious one. No, that’s a red herring intended to make them focus on the wrong clue. Rafe is still making them check it out, but he’s learned to trust Stiles’ instincts over the last eight years. That’s how long their unit has been working together, and Stiles has proven that his gut is more often right than not during many cases. This time, it’s frustrating, though, because he can’t see the fucking pattern.

Casey Morris. Age 24. Disappeared from Estacada after leaving work on June 3rd. Body found on the shores of Timothy Lake nine days later.

James Reynolds. Age 18. Disappeared from Walla Walla after leaving school on June 14th. Body found on the shores of Bull Prairie Lake eight days later.

Lina Kramer. Age 31. Disappeared from Medford after leaving the supermarket on June 23nd. Body found on the shores of Summer Lake seven days later.

Keith Harper. Age 27. Disappeared from Redmond after dropping his kids off at daycare on July 2nd. Body found on the shores of Loon Lake six days later.

Yesterday.

Keith Harper’s body was found yesterday. It was mutilated and showed signs of sexual assault and torture like the other three known victims of their perp. Stiles knows that Casey Morris wasn’t the first, but he hasn’t been able to figure out the exact pattern in order to find the path that’ll lead them to the first one. It’s always the first one that tells them who they’re looking for. Stiles knows how to listen to the facts, to arrange everything in the right order, and he’ll get the victims speaking to him. He just hasn’t managed to with this case yet.

They weren’t called in until Lina Kramer. The first two crime scenes had been ruined before they could examine them, and the case files were relatively empty when they’d been handed over by local precincts. Allison had done what she could to get all of the notes, but the people working the cases hadn’t been used to these kinds of crimes, and there’d been some big fuck ups before the FBI got called in. Lydia’s been working with Danny on background checks, trying to find any common thread or trend, but it’s proved useless so far.

Keith Harper had already been taken by the time they got the case, but Stiles knows they’ve got at least one more day before the next victim is chosen. The obvious pattern of lakes is the red herring. The methodical countdown that’s growing shorter with each victim is not something their perp expects them to catch. Not like the water and body arrangement that’s being fed to them like they’re living in a crappy episode of Criminal Minds. It’s still an obvious pattern, though. Easily seen if examined together. It’s just not the clue he needs to save the next victim before they’re chosen.

“Fuck,” he growls, slamming his fist against the wall. “Why can’t I see it?”

“You’re looking too hard.”

“Damn it!” Stiles turns around and glares, putting his hand on his chest because his heart’s racing. It’s three in the morning, and the office they’ve been given at the Portland branch is deserted save for the cleaning crew and two agents on the third floor working an organized crime case. “How long have you been standing there?”

“About twenty minutes. I said hello when I came in, but you were zoning.” Derek shrugs off his leather coat, tossing it on the table before he picks up a dry erase marker. “Jackson said you hadn’t checked in, so I knew you must still be here.”

“Can’t sleep.” He grimaces, momentarily distracted by the dark hair revealed as Derek unfastens his cuffs and rolls his dress shirt up to his elbows. The fabric pulls taut across his biceps, and Stiles has to look away before he gets caught staring. They’ve been playing this game for years, since Derek joined the team six years ago, and Stiles has gotten good at it in that time. Playing pretend is childish and not something he normally indulges in, too blunt and matter-of-fact for subtle games, but he pretends with Derek.

Pretends he doesn’t find him fascinating. Pretends he isn’t attracted to him. Pretends that they’re nothing but colleagues. Pretends that he doesn’t have any feelings whatsoever other than professional comradery. Pretends he doesn’t get himself off in the shower on lonely nights with Derek’s name spilling from his lips.

It’s better to pretend because Derek is a loner. Even reluctantly part of the team now, the one often looked to for guidance despite Rafael being their team leader, the calm strength that grounds the rest of them, and still Derek keeps his distance. Wrapping his tragedies around him like a security blanket as if that’s going to keep him from losing anything precious again. He isn’t interested, has made that obvious during multiple charged moments over the years, and Stiles respects that. Even if he sometimes aches with longing.

With a shake of his head, Stiles scowls at the board and tries to _see_. Thinking about Derek and things that are felt but never acknowledged isn’t going to help him solve this case. At the rate it’s going, nothing is.

“You’re becoming obsessed again,” Derek points out, voice quiet and non-judgmental. Stiles knows he gets obsessed, especially when there’s any kind of sex crime or children involved. It’s a weakness, one that is making him too clouded right now to focus on the clues he’s missing. “You can take a break sometimes, you know?”

“Can I?” Stiles laughs dryly. “There’s a new victim out there right now, Derek. Probably being stalked because I think he uses the two days between dumping and kidnapping to hunt. He’s already found his next target by now. He’ll take them tomorrow, on the tenth of July.” Stiles draws a line on the board, connecting the maps of the lakes. “And this is supposed to distract us from the real clue, make us think about water and wax poetical about the symbolism of lakes and how he arranges the bodies.”

“But it isn’t distracting _us_. Not the way he wants.” Derek’s arm rubs against Sties’ as he reaches forward to write a few words on the board. It’s a casual touch but comforting all the same. “We aren’t stupid, Stiles. Even Rafe isn’t giving that any true merit. Erica and Boyd were sent to look because it’s protocol, not because it’s a real lead.”

“I know that, but it doesn’t mean I’m not still pissed off that I’m unable to see the pattern yet.” Stiles glances at Derek, noticing the scraggly hairs along his jaw; the untidy beard is a sign of a case getting to him. It’s getting to all of them. They couldn’t save Keith Harper or any of the others, but they _could_ save the next victim. If they don’t figure this out in the next twenty-four hours, it’s going to make them all feel guilty, see the blood on their own hands, and it’ll get to them.

It always does.

And Stiles knows, deep in his gut, that they _aren’t_ going to figure this one out that fast. They’re an amazing team, have a brilliant success rate, but this is too much without enough time to really do anything. No, there’ll be a fifth victim. He studies the photos of the victims. “Female. Brunette. Not sure about age yet.”

“What do you see?” Derek is writing down the information, not that it’s going to really do anything for them. Not enough to save number five before they’re taken and tortured, killed by the perp and left on the shore of whatever lake is chosen for the tableau in five days.

“Not enough.” Stiles drags his fingers through his hair, making a face when he gets ink on his cheek because he forgot he was holding an uncapped marker. “Casey and James were both Caucasian, blue eyes, blonde hair. Lina and Keith are black, green eyes, black hair. Next is going to be a female. Either a redhead or a brunette. Brown eyes or hazel. It’s going to be someone who catches his fancy, that he finds attractive and _wants_.”

Stiles frowns and looks at the map, noticing the different locations and tracking the pattern. Derek touches his shoulder. “What is it?”

“I don’t know. Something’s off.” Stiles takes his marker and starts drawing lines. He grabs the red marker from Derek and uses it to draw different lines. “I’m seeing something. I just can’t figure out what yet.”

“You think he’s choosing his victims based on attraction?” Derek studies Stiles before looking at the photos intently. “The lips are similar. With Casey and James, they’ve got full lips, the bottom lips are nearly identical.”

“What have we missed?” Allison asks as the door opens, the lights turning on for the entire room instead of just at the front where the board’s at.

“What? Like we’re going to let you two losers outperform us?” Jackson scoffs and slugs Stiles on the shoulder lightly before he hands him a caramel mocha.

“We could hear you talking down the hall. It sounded like excited figuring shit out voices,” Lydia points out. “Did you find the piece you’ve been missing, Stiles?”

“Not entirely,” he says, taking a sip of his coffee before looking at the photos. “Derek’s onto something, though. You’re right about the mouths.”

“Yeah, and these two. Look at the jaws.” Derek motions to the high cheekbones and firm jaws that both Lina Kramer and Keith Harper share. The facial similarities end there, but it’s a trait that’s almost identical.”

“So he’s finding people with similar facial structures?” Isaac frowns as he studies the board. “What’s the same between these two and these two?”

“Nothing. He’s doing two at a time. He sees someone he wants, something he both wants to covet and also break. That explains the torture, the sex, the caretaking efforts Lydia has noticed with the nails and skin.” Stiles shakes his head. “I feel like I’m still missing something. But I don’t know what. I mean, beyond an identity and place to find the creep.”

“It’d be a perfect world if we could figure that out,” Allison says, coming up beside him. “What’s with the lines? What were you trying to figure out?”

“Oh, I’m not even sure anymore, Ali. I’m trying to figure out the logic, I guess. But we’re dealing with a serial killer, so it’s not like the motives are likely rational or organized.” Stiles scowls, remembering an exception to that rule. Unconsciously, he rubs at the scar on his forearm, a reminder of the past that’ll never fade away. There’s a reason sex crimes and kids are his two weak spots, not that he allows his personal experiences to cloud his judgement. It’s been twenty-two years since he was that scared ten year old, after all. “Most are irrational, so I’m probably overanalyzing anyway.”

“We trust you, dumbass.” Jackson trails his pointer finger along the red line running from Walla Walla to Estacada. “Why’d he go to Washington? He was closer to a lot of different places, so why go all the way up there? It just brought us in because it crossed state lines, so it doesn’t make sense.”

“Unless he didn’t start in Estacada?” Danny says, shrugging when they look at him. “What? Just because that’s the first victim, it doesn’t mean he started there. Stiles is convinced Casey isn’t the first one anyway.”

“Fuck.” Stiles snaps his fingers. “Danny, get that genius brain looking up unsolved cases in Washington. Check around the Seattle area, but not in the city proper. Bodies found around water.”

“Got it, Boss.” Danny starts typing and Derek steps closer to the board.

“So if we’ve got his pattern off, why would he hit Estacada before Walla Walla?” Derek looks at Stiles. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“He was in Walla Walla first.” Stiles curses and looks at the ceiling. “Damn it. It’s not the female he chooses first. It’s the male. He saw James Reynolds with the pretty mouth and blond hair and he _wanted_. But he couldn’t take. Not yet. Instead, he drove until he found that mouth again, on Casey. He took her but she wasn’t enough, she wasn’t James. So he went back to take what he really wanted all along.”

“Then he saw Keith Harper, with the firm jaw and cheekbones,” Derek continues, tracing the path from Walla Walla to Redmond before dragging his finger over to Medford. “And he wanted but didn’t take, not until he crossed paths with Lina Kramer at the grocery store.”

“He’s trying to resist, to be good, because he doesn’t want to take them, doesn’t want to hurt them. Not the men. The women…he doesn’t care about them. They’re like a dress rehearsal, but he’s escalating. He’s getting too excited. He’s trying to find the one who survives, the one who shows himself worthy and can be kept.” Stiles rubs his hand down his face. “The problem is that this theory means he’s already found the guy. He’s seen something that he wants to covet and claim, and now he’s looking for the woman who reminds him of that guy. And we have no fucking clue what the hell is going to turn him on this time.”

“Hey, we’ve made progress.” Derek looks at him before licking his thumb then reaching over to wipe the marker off Stiles’ cheek. It’s an oddly intimate gesture when surrounded by their team, and Stiles’ heart beats a little quicker as he stares into Derek’s eyes. A knock on the door makes him blink, and he takes a step back, leaning into Allison, who is giving him a knowing look before she puts her head against his arm.

“Hello?” The door opens and one of the local bureau guys enters the room. Stiles tries to remember his name, but he honestly sucks at remembering people who aren’t his family, his team.

“Yes, Agent Parrish?” Lydia is polite but curt, not having much time to waste with locals who aren’t involved in their cases.

Parrish. That’s right. Jordan. Nice enough guy. Helped Stiles move in some of the equipment on day one. They had a brief chat about motivation and violence before the rest of the team had shown up. “You’re here early, Jordan.”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I was off but this call came over the radio, so I knew you’d want to hear about it immediately, Stiles.” Jordan steps forward and hands Stiles the folder, ignoring the rest of the team despite several members being closer.

“What is it?” Derek asks, stepping beside Stiles when he opens the folder. A pretty girl stares up at him. Brown eyes, brown hair, beauty marks. Stiles knows immediately that this is number five.

“Her name’s Paige Krasikeva. She’s twenty-three, and she was last seen in Raleigh Hills after leaving some friends at a music club.” Jordan shrugs. “I can’t say for certain it’s the guy you’re chasing, but I know you’re looking at all missing persons right now.”

“It’s too early.” Stiles hands the file to Allison so she can look it over. “It’s only been one day. That’s not enough time.” He steps close to the board and stares at it. “It’s only been a day, damn it.”

“Actually, it’s been two.” Jackson looks at his watch. “It’s nearly dawn on July tenth, Stiles. The report says that Paige Krasikeva was last seen at fifteen minutes after midnight.”

“Come on. We’ll go check out Raleigh Hills,” Derek says, reaching out and squeezing Stiles’ shoulder. “Since Agent Parrish got us this intel so quickly, we might be able to find something.”

“Yeah. God, I hope so. She’s so young.” Stiles grabs his coat off the table and slides his gun into his holster. He isn’t taking any chances, especially not when Derek’s safety is at risk. “Thanks for getting that to us, Jordan.”

“No problem. Good luck.” Jordan is glaring at Derek when Stiles looks at him, but he quickly smiles. “Not that you’ll need it. You’re amazing at what you do.”

“Nah, not at all.” Stiles shakes his head. “We’re a team, and we wouldn’t get anywhere without each other.” He watches Jordan leave before he glances back at Isaac. “You coming with us, Isaac?”

“Sure thing, Stiles.” Isaac grabs a bag of gear and heads towards the door.

“We’ll send you guys anything we find. Start looking for information on Paige. We need to figure out why he moved so fast this time. That’s too soon for him to have already found a new target and to accidentally cross paths with someone sharing whatever feature attracts him."

“We’re on it, Derek. Go see what you can find.” Allison looks up from the photo of Paige and frowns at Stiles before she steps up to Derek. “Keep an eye on him, okay? I’ve got a weird feeling.”

“I always keep an eye on him,” Derek says, acting as if Stiles isn’t standing there listening to them talk about him like he needs a babysitter. “What kind of weird feeling?”

“I don’t know.” Allison flashes her dimples and shrugs. “Just uneasy about this one.”

“We’ll be in touch,” Stiles promises, brushing his hand against Derek’s as they follow Isaac out of the room. Derek’s fingers flex, gently caressing his knuckles before Derek steps away. “We’ve got to find something, guys. We need to catch this guy before he can add more bodies to his list.”

“We’ll get him,” Derek says confidently. “Sooner or later.”

**Author's Note:**

> [My Tumblr](http://inell.tumblr.com)
> 
>  
> 
> Sequel Fic: [Better Safe than Sorry](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9293291)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Sooner or Later](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14743104) by [taikodragon (hana_ginkawa)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hana_ginkawa/pseuds/taikodragon)




End file.
